


an anniversary and a wish

by ari_pav



Series: a boy and his ghost [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt Leo Valdez, Light Angst, M/M, Out of Character, Past Character Death, Pre-Relationship, So they are not together yet, maybe im not sure, sorry if they are
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:08:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25739335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ari_pav/pseuds/ari_pav
Summary: It looked as if the breath was knocked out of Leo, his eyes surprised, mouth opened in a tiny o.  He kept blinking at Nico as if he couldn’t fathom the boy that was sitting next to him.
Relationships: Nico di Angelo & Leo Valdez, Nico di Angelo/Leo Valdez
Series: a boy and his ghost [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1867114
Comments: 8
Kudos: 106





	an anniversary and a wish

Nico had thought that he would not get along with Leo Valdez.

It was basically written in their personalities, was it not? Nico was broody, no smiles, and preferred silence to mindless chatter. Leo was pretty much the exact opposite; constant smiles, jokes 24/7, and never stopped talking. Taking those points, people (the others on the Argo II) pretty much expected them to butt heads forever. And they did. At least, at first, they did. Nico couldn't spend more than ten minutes with the Latino boy at first, the constant chatter giving him a headache. 

Eventually (after many attempts made by Leo) they actually had an actual conversation that lasted more than just ten minutes and with Nico responding with more than one syllable answers. And maybe Leo wasn't as annoying as Nico thought. And maybe he was just a little funny. But Nico would never admit that to anyone on the ship, let alone Leo himself. Nico was still wary of the hyper-active boy though. The constant jokes, while nice at times, made Nico feel off-balanced. It wasn’t a terrible feeling, but it was unfamiliar and scary. Nico tended to avoid anything that brought him out of his comfort zone. And Leo was nothing if not outside of his comfort zone.

This is why, when Hazel first approaches him asking if he has seen the hyperactive boy, Nico wasn’t worried despite the concerned look in his sister's eyes. 

“It’s just…” Hazel bit her lip, golden eyes shining from the bright sun beating down on them. “No one has seen him since yesterday. And he sort of promised to give some of the new campers rides on Festus today. It’s not like him to back out of a promise.”

Nico knew this. Anyone who spent any amount of time around Leo knew he was weirdly passionate about the promises he made to others. 

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Nico reassured. “He probably just forgot. You know how he can be.”

Hazel nodded, but the worried shine in her eyes didn’t dissipate. “I know, but I would feel a lot better if we found him. Can you help me look? It would go a lot faster if you shadow traveled around.”

Nico reluctantly agreed, not particularly wanting to spend his afternoon scouring the camp for one little Latino boy. It was hard to say no to Hazel though, especially when she looked like a lost puppy.

So that is where life saw Nico at the moment; shadow traveling to the further parts of the camp, keeping his eye opened for Leo. It took around twenty minutes of looking until he finally found him. Leo was sitting by a small stream, his back turned to Nico, so he couldn't tell what was in the boy’s hands. Although it wasn't that hard to figure out; Leo was always tinkering with something. 

Nico was about to call his name, but something stopped him. Leo’s shoulders were hunched over, with his head bowed making him look smaller than he already was. The position was obvious to Nico; something was upsetting Leo. 

Over the two years that Nico has known Leo, Nico has never seen the boy slow down or get sad. To be honest, the two didn’t spend enough time together for that to be odd. But, well. Leo was always the one in the group smiling and making jokes, no matter the situation. On countless occasions, Nico could hear the boys’ joyful laughter across the camp. It was hard to imagine him not smiling. Yet there he was. Nico couldn’t see his face at the moment, but that position wasn’t a happy one. 

Making sure to make some noise so he wouldn’t startle Leo, Nico started walking over to the hunched figure. Leo’s head lifted a little, but he didn’t turn around, just continued to stare at the water running in the stream. Nico sat next to Leo by the stream and eyed him. He was wrong about the tinkering; in Leo’s hand was a picture. Before Nico could discern what the picture was Leo turned it upside down.

“Hazel has been looking for you,” Nico said an uncharacteristic feeling of uncomfort due to the silence. Nico figured it was because Leo was always talking, but now he was completely silent. “Says you had made a promise to give campers a ride on Festus.”

Leo didn’t respond, but a flicker of guilt flashed in his brown eyes. Nico accepted his silence with his own, turning his gaze onto the trees across the stream. It was impossible for Leo to stay still, Nico decided. Because even now, Leo’s fingers were tapping out some indeterminable rhythm on his knees. Nico suddenly recalls a time when he heard Annabeth talking to Piper about the tapping; according to the two girls it was morse code. Nico wondered what secret message Leo was always tapping out. Wondered at where Leo learned morse code since it’s obviously not a common way to communicate anymore.

Looking over at Leo, Nico was surprised at how much different Leo looked at the moment. Not just features wise, but his  _ eyes _ . Nico had never really paid much attention to his eyes before, the boys smile always stealing his attention. The smile was hard for Nico to ignore, a fact that annoyed him to no end. It didn’t matter how many other people were in the room, if Leo was there Nico’s eyes would be forced in the direction of that stupid smile. 

But Leo’s eyes were beautiful….and sad. There was a small gleam there that held something darker that Leo doesn’t let people usually see. Nico suddenly felt like he was intruding.

“I hate fire.”

The three words caught Nico off guard. He hadn’t expected Leo to start speaking.

“You can control fire,” Nico responded lamely. He didn’t understand Leo’s statement.

Leo sighed as if he expected that response. “Sometimes I feel like it controls me.”

Nico frowned at that, because it sounded surprisingly like how he felt. The dark seemed to suffocate Nico at times, which sounded ridiculous to anyone else. ‘You’re the son of  _ Hades _ , how can you be scared of the dark?’ Nico didn’t know. Does anyone have any control over what their fears are? The thing is, even though Nico can control the shadows, it always feels like the dark is following him wherever he goes. He can’t escape it. He will always have a shadow attached to him no matter what he does.

“I’m scared of the dark,” Nico admitted after a few moments. Leo had just revealed some type of truth, it only seemed right that Nico reciprocated.

Leo turned his head toward him at that, an eyebrow raised, obviously not expecting that confession. A considering look washed over Leo’s face, and it seemed he was searching for something on Nico’s face. Apparently content with whatever he saw, Leo opened up more.

“My mother died in a fire I set.” 

The look in Leo’s eyes almost looked like a dare. Like he wanted Nico to jerk back in disgust or surprise. But Nico didn’t react. Leo didn’t need his pity or sympathy. He was sure Leo has had enough of that to last a lifetime. 

“I’m a gay kid that was raised in the ’40s.” Nico had a sardonic smile plastered on his face.

Leo let out a sound that was half a laugh half scoff. He flipped over the picture in his hand and Nico finally saw what it was. There was a smiling woman holding an infant in her arms. The smile was so familiar Nico would have been able to tell that it was Leo’s mom even if Leo hadn’t been holding the picture.

“You have her smile,” Nico murmured, studying the woman's face. She was beautiful, in her own broad hard features. You could tell she was a hard-working woman by the gleam in her eyes.

Leo had a small wistful smile on his face as he stared at his mother, and Nico decided that he would give anything to see Leo’s normal happy one. 

“Today is her birthday,” Leo said, rubbing his finger over his mother's face. “Every year for her birthday, we would go to this mexican restaurant, order the same thing every time, and then get ice cream from the store across from our apartment. When night rolled around, she would let me stay up late and we would play different games until I passed out.”

Now that Nico has noticed Leo’s eyes it was hard to look away; while he was talking his eyes seemed to take on a happier glow, reliving happy childhood memories. 

“It doesn’t seem that special, I guess, huh?” Leo asked, looking over to Nico again.

Nico shook his head. “Any happy memory is special.”

Finally, a happy smile graced Leo’s face. It was small, but it was still there and that’s what mattered. But the smile went as fast as it came, and Nico instantly missed the light that emanated from the smile.

“I wish I could talk to her again,” Leo admitted, his eyes genuine and still so sad.

Wishes were never something Nico let himself have. If something was a wish, it was basically impossible to achieve. At least that was how Nico perceived it. Every wish Nico had ever made ended badly. So eventually Nico stopped.

But this. This wish that Leo was asking for? Well, that was something Nico might just have some control over. Talking to the dead  _ was _ Nico’s specialty, wasn’t it?

“You know…” Nico started, “I might be able to help you with that.”

Leo looked surprised at the offering. “You...you would do that for me? You can  _ do _ that? Of course, you can you’re the ghost king. But...why? I mean, we’re not the closest of friends.”

“I know what it’s like to want to talk to someone who is gone,” Nico said, his brain flashing a scene of olive skin, a small smile, and hands that protected him. “Losing the last of your family, knowing you’ll never be able to say anything to them again. It’s so...final. But when I figured out my powers and there was a chance I could talk to Bianca again? That was a second chance. I want to share that. With you.”

It looked as if the breath was knocked out of Leo, his eyes surprised, mouth opened in a tiny o. He kept blinking at Nico as if he couldn’t fathom the boy that was sitting next to him. Nico felt a little self-conscious at the staring but he knew he took Leo off guard. Nico rarely raised the dead for personal visits anymore. It can have bad reactions from the living person; whether they weren’t really ready to see their dead loved one, the loved one said something that was a little too real for the living person or any other number of reasons. 

But Leo had looked so sad and Nico couldn’t stand it. Leo shouldn’t be sad, Nico wanted to make him happy. So that’s what he did. It seemed to work because now Leo’s eyes were filling with something that looked a little like hope and a genuinely happy smile was growing on his elfish face.

Nico wasn’t going to regret his decision to offer this to Leo.

**Author's Note:**

> sorry if they seem out of character. I have been reading a lot of andriel fanfiction so that might be reflecting a bit in my writing lmao. But thank you for reading, it means a lot!!


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